Senator Tim Kaine talks teacher recruitment, retention at VSU

PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Senator Tim Kaine traveled to Petersburg to participate in a panel discussion at Virginia State University focusing on teacher recruitment and retention, specifically for teachers of color.

He was joined by 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson to talk about the challenges educators face in and out of the classroom.

Senator Kaine says he wants to see more done to keep quality teachers in Virginia.

“We could get recruitment completely right but if we keep having a high number of people leave the profession,” Senator Kaine said. “We will be farther behind, so we have to focus on training existing teachers.”

The senator says he wants more money spent on special education and minority students. He said he hopes to see more federal dollars for things like school supplies.

Kaine has introduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act to help ensure that there are enough teachers and principals with the right skills to prepare students for the future.

The PREP Act would provide more support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to support a diverse teacher workforce.